Bob Glauber of Newsday writes that if the Jets fire head coach Eric Mangini that they should pursue Bill Cowher.

What better coach to replace him than Cowher, a perennial winner with the Steelers who captured Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season, then stepped away a year later. Cowher was 166-99-1 during his run with the Steelers from 1992-2006 and consistently was one of the top coaches in the league. In his 15 seasons, the Steelers won eight division titles, went to the playoffs 10 times, played 21 postseason games, made the AFC Championship Game six times and played in two Super Bowls, winning one.

Playoff disappointments? Sure. But I’d take that resume any day to lead a Jets team sorely in need of an elite coach to push it in the right direction.

Cowher is just the kind of emotional sparkplug the Jets need, a guy who will get in players’ faces the way few coaches can. He’s a major contrast with the placid Mangini, who too often shows no emotion in a game that thrives on it. If players reflect the personality of their coach, then the Jets have adopted Mangini’s flat-line temperament.

What concept – hire the best head coach available to replace the deadbeat that currently holds the position. This is a nice idea, but unfortunately for Glauber and the Jets, the Browns, Rams and every other team that is soon to have a head coaching vacancy is thinking the same thing.

If (and that’s a big if) Cowher decides to come out of retirement and return to the NFL, he’s going to want complete control. The situation is going to have to be perfect and I just don’t know if the Jets or Browns job will entice him enough to return.

The Tennessee Titans became the first team to win their division after beating the Cleveland Browns 28-9 on Sunday. Unless you want to break down Ken Dorsey’s passing chart, there’s really not much to discuss regarding this game, although Titans’ RB Chris Johnson made another case to win Rookie of the Year after rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown.

The most significant news regarding this matchup is that the Browns are apparently interested in former San Diego Charger head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

The Cleveland Browns are formulating a plan that ultimately could lead to the return of Marty Schottenheimer as their coach for the 2009 season, according to sources.
The Browns would also be open to considering Bill Cowher if he sends stronger signals that he’s ready to return, the sources said.

The Browns plan to fire coach Romeo Crennel after a disappointing year, regardless of injuries the team has suffered, the sources said. Pubicly, owner Randy Lerner has only said he will evaluate Crennel after the season.

Schottenheimer was the Browns’ defensive coordinator under Sam Rutigliano in 1980 but took over as head coach when Rutigliano was fired midway through the 1984 season. Schottenheimer had a 44-27 record with the Browns, won three divisional titles, had four playoff appearances and two AFC Championship Game appearances before he was fired by owner Art Modell.

Schottenheimer might not be as sexy a name as Cowher, but he’s a proven winner and the guy has a history of turning around morbid franchises like the Browns. Cleveland needs structure and they need a coach to get the players to buy into a system. Schottenheimer can do both of those things and over time, he could probably build a winner, too. Granted, he doesn’t come without his flaws, but the Browns could do a hell of a lot worse than Schottenheimer if they can’t convince Cowher to come out of retirement.